1666 replies to this topic

[Chromerust]

Pogonomyrmex Californicus flew in Riverside yesterday. Not in the usual numbers, just a small pre-flight. Adding this here for the record.

[Gregory2455]

Solenopsis molesta had a huge night of mating flights, and are likely to also be flying here for the next few days as well. (4/29/2015 Simi Valley, CA)

[dspdrew]

Tuesday night, 4-28-2015 Liometopum occidentale flew in Mt. Baldy, CA.
 
Last night Liometopum occidentale and Solenopsis xyloni flew in pretty good numbers around 8:30 in Trabuco Canyon, CA. I also found a couple Pheidole Temnothorax that look similar to Solenopsis molesta, and a few Crematogaster with very small gasters and big heads Crematogaster cf. mutans.
 
It was slightly breezy, and the temperature was around 75 F.

[dspdrew]

Thursday night (4-30-2015) Solenopsis xyloni flew in Silverado, California around 9:00 pm. Temperature was around 65 F.

 

Last night (5-1-2015) Solenopsis molesta, Solenopsis xyloni, and Liometopum occidentale flew in Menifee, California around 9:00 PM. Temperature was around 75 F.

[cpman]

I saw Solenopsis invicta a few days ago. We've been getting crazy amounts of rain this year. Today we are expected to get almost 2-3 inches of rain. Hopefully the 83° weather tomorrow will bring out some new queens.

[cpman]

Solenopsis invicta flew again today.

I'm kind of considering keeping a few queens and using all the eggs they lay to feed other ants. I wouldn't even need to let them have a colony, as they are easily replaceable...
Should I try it?

[Ants4fun]

You could try putting them all together and see how many initial workers they will raise... it would be cool to have like 500 nanitics.

[cpman]

You could try putting them all together and see how many initial workers they will raise... it would be cool to have like 500 nanitics.

I rarely see the polygyne ones in my neighborhood, so they'd probably get killed off. Plus, they'd probably hit 500 pretty fast if the colonies I've seen are any indication. I have no desire to keep a colony of this species.
I was thinking of taking every piece of brood from a queen to give to my other ants.

[Ants4fun]

I try to not let my ants eat ant brood as I feel they may eat boosted brood as well...

[Gregory2455]

Pogonomyrmex cf. californicus (concolorous) had small flights in Simi Valley, CA. I caught me six queens, three from founding chambers and three still walking around.

[dspdrew]

Don't forget to report mating flight info here. I'm actually going to create something very useful with all of it, and it takes a lot longer when I have to scour the internet for it.

[cpman]

Multiple Solenopsis species flew here today -- S. invicta and either S. geminata or S. xyloni.

We've had between 9 and 11 inches of rain this month, and this has been one of the first clear days.

Conditions were 84 degrees and 74% humidity.

I thought they were all S. invicta until I looked under the microscope at 3 of the several hundred I saw.

However, one of the three was missing a medial clypeal tooth, so it couldn't be S. invicta.

Here are some pictures of the skimmer baskets in my pool to let you know how many were flying:

 

[Crystals]

For those in northern Alberta, and possibly other areas around the boreal forest, around noon I have seen several Camponotus herculeanus queens walking around.  They normally do not start to fly until mid-afternoon, so today may be the day of the main flight in my location if there are already so many wandering around.

This is the first day it has hit 26C (78.8F) so far this year.  No rain for the last 2 weeks, nor is any forecast for the next week.  Unusually hot and dry for this time of year.

 

 

On a second note,

I was talking to a fellow from Vancouver, and he mentioned that Camponotus novaeboracensis flew down there between May 12-14, with numerous smaller flights over several weeks, as opposed to Camponotus herculeanus' usual mass flight tactic.

 

Edit:

I just realized, if Camponotus herculeanus have their main flight today - it means that it will be the 3rd year in a row that they flew by the hundreds on May 21... 

[dermy]

Saskatchewan- Camponotus herculeanus flew a little bit last night at 7pm, it was about 25C and not much in the way of moisture since not much rain. I don't know the barmatic pressure or anything. I only managed to find 15 so this wasn't the big deal thing! I expect to see a huge flight a bit later in the week or so.

[123LordOfAnts123]

It rained the night of Tuesday, the 19th of May - not very hard but the first time in 2 weeks. That early morning several species flew - Pheidole dentata, P. dentigula, P. floridana, Solenopsis pergandei, Cyphomyrmex minutus and rimosus, a Nylanderia sp, as well as a single lone delate of Pheidole morrisi. Later that morning, in the Florida scrub, I found mating balls of Pachycondyla chinesis and numerous delates of Forelius pruinosis. In the afternoon, Solenopsis invicta and geminata flew, followed by Brachymyrmex patagonicus. Pogonomyrmex badius alates busily poked their heads out their nests and I witnessed mating between two seemingly underdeveloped alates. During the evening, Dorymyrmex bureni flew in large numbers, and mixed in were alates of a small red and black Pheidole species I've yet to ID.

[dspdrew]

It rained the night of Tuesday, the 19th of May - not very hard but the first time in 2 weeks. That early morning several species flew - Pheidole dentata, P. dentigula, P. floridana, Solenopsis pergandei, Cyphomyrmex minutus and rimosus, a Nylanderia sp, as well as a single lone delate of Pheidole morrisi. Later that morning, in the Florida scrub, I found mating balls of Pachycondyla chinesis and numerous delates of Forelius pruinosis. In the afternoon, Solenopsis invicta and geminata flew, followed by Brachymyrmex patagonicus. Pogonomyrmex badius alates busily poked their heads out their nests and I witnessed mating between two seemingly underdeveloped alates. During the evening, Dorymyrmex bureni flew in large numbers, and mixed in were alates of a small red and black Pheidole species I've yet to ID.

 

 

You always have the longest list of species flying.

 

I have a lot of reports from you over the last couple years. What city did you see these flights in? Also can you tell me where you saw most of the other mating flights you have reported?

[123LordOfAnts123]

I'm located in longwood, FL, which is just north of Orlando. Most of the flights I report are witnessed in my driveway, alates having been attracted by the use of a mercury vapor bulb. The Forelius, Pachycondyla, and Pogonomyrmex were observed in scrub habitat located in the Wekiva state park - another area where I do most of my anting.

And a few more reports:

Last night I collected a single Camponotus nearcticus queen, as well as a couple C. impressus alates. Odontomachus males have begun showing up at lights after sundown and I collected a delate queen crossing a sidewalk. This morning Psuedomyrmex ejectus also flew.

[dspdrew]

Amazing.

 

Would you be able to tell me where you most likely found all of these?

 

Aphaenogaster sp.
Brachymyrmex obscurior
Brachymyrmex patagonicus
Camponotus floridanus
Camponotus obliquus
Camponotus tortuganus
Crematogaster ashmeadi
Dorymyrmex bureni
Forelius pruinosus
Monomorium floricola
Prenolepis imparis

Pseudomyrmex gracilis
Solenopsis geminata
Solenopsis invicta
Solenopsis pergandei
Tetramorium bicarinatum

[Vendayn]

Solenopsus aurea/amblychila are going to be flying soon. They have TONS winged alates and winged pupae in all their nests.

 

Solenopsis invicta have winged alates and alate pupae in their nests

 

Pogonomyrmex californicus have winged alates (thought they flew a lot later)

 

Argentine ants have tons of winged alates (not like anyone needs or wants to look for them )

 

Dorymyrmex bicolor have winged alates (they already flew not that long ago, guess they are again)

 

Brachymyrmex patagonicus have winged females I've seen in their trails (they flew earlier as well, but guess they are going to fly again.)

 

And that is pretty much all the ants I've found that I can walk to. I'm going to Silverado Canyon this weekend (hopefully), so I'll see if there are any more ants with alates. I'm pretty sure I'll be seeing Forelius pruinosus/mccooki with alates. They seem to get alates about this time of year from what I recall.

Edited by Vendayn, May 22 2015 - 12:59 PM.

[Jonathan21700]

Amazing species!